Here are a few thoughts on how discipleship is changing in the way churches approach it. Then Church Training (Discipleship Training) now “Disciple Making.” Then Sunday Night 6PM now Anytime. Then At Church now Anywhere. Then Curriculum Driven now Highly Relational. Then Large Group (over 10) now Small Group…
A new year is a good time to take a spiritual inventory. One great place to start is making sure you know what your spiritual gifts are. Ken Hemphill defines a spiritual gift as…“an individual manifestation of grace from the Father that enables you to serve Him and thus play…
OK…what is a Chris-ter? Well, it is those folks who attend our worship on Christmas and Easter only, hence Christmas and Easter equals…Chris-ters. When I pastored we always had an increase in worship on those two Sundays because the Chris-ters really came out and boosted our attendance. So what should…
I read an interesting yet disturbing article recently on intergeneration connections and the involvement of teens after they graduate from high school. The article was written by Kara Powell and it was called, “Faith that Sticks.” Studies suggest that approximately 40 to 50 percent of our students who are part of…
But may all who seek you rejoice and be glad in you; may those who love your salvation always say, “The Lord be exalted!” Psalm 40:16 Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays. I really love turkey and pie and all the traditional food that makes up Thanksgiving, fellowship with…
In his classic text Leading Change, John Kotter offers a number of insights into the mechanics of change. If your church is going to grow it will require change and leading change in your church requires great wisdom. Examine these eight fundamental qualities of successful change and see if they…
I recently met with a church that was having consistent baptisms but not experiencing net growth. They asked me to help them plan some strategies that would keep those they reached. About the same time I read Tom Rainer’s blog on “closing the back door.” How does a church keep…
One of the joys of serving Kentucky Baptists is visiting and preaching in churches across our state. I love our city churches and our country churches and all those in between. This year I have been in a number of our churches and have served as an interim. On my…
There have been many articles written about Steve Jobs, the co-founder of Apple who died on October 5, 2011. He was a very intentional leader. His biographer, Walter Isaacson, said, “Some leaders push innovations by being good at the big picture. Others do so by mastering details. Jobs did both,…
Like most of you reading this, I love to see churches grow and reach people for Jesus Christ. I have benefited from the writings and research of Charles Arn on this subject. Recently he wrote an article called, “Why Churches Don’t Grow” for Building Church Leaders network. He lists five…
Two encounters are critical. First, the leader encounters God in His Word and is changed. Second, the leader guides the group to have a life-changing encounter.